I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, or its settings - all belongs to the lovely folks at CBS.

This fic originally started as a small idea of pre-series team fun. It grew into unresolved sexual tension and discussions about Gibbs versus dinosaurs. This fic proves, once again, that I cannot write small. Hope you enjoy!

The sound of heels on his wooden stairs alerted Leroy Jethro Gibbs to the presence of someone in his house. He looked up to see Jennifer Shepard descend the stairs, her arms wrapped over one another. She was nervous: most likely about the undercover operation ahead of them. To be honest, so was he. Pretending to be an arms dealer and his much younger trophy girlfriend was not exactly an easy task, especially when it meant having to kiss her.

"You lost, Shepard?"

Jenny shook her head and pushed herself up onto his work bench. They had no need for greetings, or small talk. They knew each other too well for that. Her heels hit the floor as she kicked them off, trying to relax herself. After a few minutes she started to speak and then stopped, before finding the courage to share what was on her mind.

"I don't know if I can do this."

Jethro stopped sanding his boat and turned to look at his agent. His. He wished she was, truly, but too many things were stopping that from being a reality. He walked over to her and rested a hand near her thigh. He saw her flinch, but not from disgust; more from lust. His hand moved another inch to tip out a mason jar and pour her some bourbon. She sipped the glass gratefully.

"You'd rather be on the op with Decker, or Burley?"

She shook her head. Her green eyes were fixed on his, and he couldn't look away. He poured himself a glass and just stood there, leaning in to her, trying to resist every impulse that was screaming for him to take her right there on his work bench.

"I'm just afraid I won't be able to sell it." Jenny brushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. "I'm afraid one wrong move and we'll both be dead."

It wasn't like her to second guess herself, but there was a trembling of her bottom lip that made him think this was less a crisis of ability and more about how she reacted to him, and, hell, how he reacted to her.

"You'll be fine. Just need to practice."

Her eyes sparkled at that notion, and he had guessed right. Jenny Shepard was a woman who knew what she wanted, but despite her confidence was shaking as he put down their glasses and lifted her gently to her feet. His arms wrapped around her waist, and her hands settled on his chest. Her fingers toyed with his collar, which was beginning to feel a little hot.

Their hips were touching, and one of his hands moved underneath the flimsy shirt she wore to touch flushed skin. She gasped as his fingers made contact with the hollow of her hip, and he bowed his head, mere inches from kissing her.

"Maybe I'm a gold digger after your illegally made cash."

"Maybe. Why don't we see what your actions say?"

Jenny didn't disappoint. One hand reached up around his neck and pulled him down to her mouth. She arched against him as their lips met softly, before the pressure both of them had been feeling was let out. He sucked on her bottom lip, tasting the bourbon she had drunk. Her hands were continually shifting, trying to touch as much of him as possible. Eventually he deposited her on the work bench and pressed against her, lips breaking apart.

"I want you."

He was undone.

"Good morning DC! Now the forecast for this Friday is…"

Gibbs groaned as he woke up, smacking the radio with his hand. It was early, way too early to be disturbed by his radio and have his dream ruined. Again. It would be the third time this week he had been having an extremely pleasant dream about his agent, only to be woken up just before they got to the good stuff. He supposed it was a good thing; if his dream self had taken off any of her clothes, he wouldn't have been able to work with his partner ever again.

After a long, cold shower, Jethro headed into work. They had finished a case yesterday, so today they were catching up on paperwork. He remembered the Director wanted a word with him, so as soon as he had stepped foot in the bullpen he was up the stairs. Once the quick 'good work' meeting was done, he was out on the catwalk, trying to catch his breath before the day really began.

Decker was in early, already making a start on his paperwork. Burley was flipping a coin, probably trying to decide between the two women he was dating. No sign of Jenny at all, for which he was thankful and a little annoyed. She should have been in already.

"Coffee?"

He turned to his right to see the beautiful redhead presenting him with a cup of his favourite. He took it, smiling at her identical container. She looked even more beautiful in the flesh, and he had to try hard not to stare at her mouth.

"Do you miss the days when it was just you and me, tackling navy crime by ourselves?" Jethro smiled at her question, looking down into the bullpen to see Burley trying to aim a coin into Decker's coffee. When he succeeded, the usually mild mannered Agent started pulling out his wallet to throw coins back.

"Decker isn't that bad."

Both of them laughed, and Jenny rested a hand on the railings. Jethro laid his own hand there, his finger brushing against hers. She turned to him at the contact, smiling. He returned the smile, trying hard not to stare into her eyes.

"Thanks for the coffee, Shepard."

Reluctantly, he walked back into the bullpen, feeling her eyes on his back. He smacked both Burley and Decker as he made it through to his desk, trying not to focus on the sound of heels behind him. But Jenny didn't head to her own desk, but sat on the edge of Decker's.

"So, what are we going to see tonight?"

Gibbs nearly choked on his coffee. Thankfully it was Burley who decided to question her, rather than their jealous boss. "You two wouldn't be breaking rule twelve now, would you?"

Jenny flipped him her middle finger and turned to the newspaper Decker was holding. She provided an explanation, less for Burley's sake but to make sure Gibbs knew the truth. "We're just going to see a movie, Burley. We asked Ducky to come but he's going to the Opera tonight." She poked Decker. "What's on?"

"Well we could go see My Best Friend's Wedding. A wonderful romantic comedy with Julia Roberts. Or Con Air, a Nicolas Cage film about prisoners breaking free. Or there is still a cinema showing the new Jurassic Park film. Dinosaurs, prisoners or bridesmaids - your call."

"How come I wasn't invited?" Burley hadn't been placated by Jenny's explanation, so he threw a piece of paper at the redhead, trying to get an answer.

She rolled her eyes and turned to Burley, growing tired of the half child, half Special Agent she worked with. "You want to come see a movie with us, Burley?"

"Can't. Got a date tonight."

Jenny felt like hitting the smug smile off of his face. Decker decided to get his own back by throwing a piece of paper in Burley's cup of coffee. He and Jenny high fived as it landed in the drink, turning the paper soggy.

At his desk Gibbs sighed, tired of having three children to look after. Standing up, he smacked Jenny around the back of the head. She turned to him, a protest dying on her lips. He had done it reluctantly; ever since she had moved from probie to partner he hadn't felt the need to exact a head slap. But it needed to be done to keep fairness in the team, even though everyone knew she was his favourite.

"How bout you stop looking at the newspaper and get on with your work, unless you want to see if the job pages have any better suggestions for how you spend your time?"

All three of his agents thankfully got to work, writing up the case and signing off on all their paperwork. The day went by quickly after that. It was Burley's turn to get lunch and while he was out and Decker was down visiting Ducky, Jenny came and stood in front of his desk.

"Can I help you with something Shepard?"

She ran a few fingers through the ends of her long hair, nervous. "I know you've probably got plans with your friend - girlfriend - erm, Tammy?" Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the name, and he found it adorable. Not that he'd ever tell her that.

"Tabitha." The Assistant DA had been pretty, and they had had a nice time. But she hadn't been the woman he wanted, and he couldn't be in another dead end relationship. So she wasn't his girlfriend, but if Jenny wanted to think so and was a little jealous by it, it wasn't something he would correct any time soon.

When he gave her no more information, Jenny decided to press on. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and Decker to the movies tonight. We still haven't decided what we want to see though. Decker is quite happy to watch people get eaten by dinosaurs, but I wouldn't mind seeing John Cusack shoot people."

"Not up for the romantic comedy?"

Jenny snorted. "I get enough comedy in my life watching Decker and Burley, I don't want to see that when I go to the movies."

He resisted making references to romance, despite his enjoyment of seeing his Very Special Agent squirm in front of him. "But you're willing to see a guy shoot people."

She shrugged, her face turning solemn for a split second. "In the movies we always win."

Without his answer, Jenny retreated back to her desk and finished her paperwork. Jethro looked at her, watched as she tried to get on with things. Eventually she realised he was looking at her and smiled. He missed the days when it was just the two of them working in close quarters, sharing the occasional drink at the end of the day when one of them needed to be in a bar. Partners, friends, two steps away from pinning each other against the vending machines, or at least he hoped.

As Decker came back to them and Burley returned with food, Gibbs realised it was a good idea that they had expanded to a team. She was one of many agents; she wasn't just his partner anymore. As a member of his team, he couldn't afford to just give in.

No matter how much he wanted to.

X

"You invited Gibbs? Are you insane?" Decker asked Jenny as they moved up the line. She was really regretting telling him, but she had been putting it off throughout the afternoon and then the car journey to the cinema. She knew what his response would have been, and had been trying to avoid a lecture.

Jenny tried to defend her actions. "We invited Burley! And Ducky."

Decker took the chance to Gibbs slap Jenny. "You didn't invite him out of fairness; you invited him because his baby blues get you all hot under those expensive collars. Jeez, how much did that shirt cost you anyway?" Decker tried to see the label but Jenny slapped his hand away. "How does a girl who can afford those type of shirts end up working for NCIS?"

"I have a thing for men in uniform."

"That so, Shepard?"

Jenny winced as the familiar voice echoed in her ears. Decker started to chuckle, but a glare from their boss put him off his stride. Jenny turned to look at her boss, but a slight touch of his hand to her waist reassured her that he was just playing with her. They shared a smile.

"What we going to see?" Gibbs asked, his smile still reserved for his favourite.

"Good question!"

Decker groaned as Burley arrived, his usual larger than life self. He had been looking forward to spending some time alone with Jenny. He was not so stupid as to fall for her; she was obviously interested in someone else. But being new to DC, he needed all the friends he could get and it was easy to talk and to spend time with Jenny Shepard.

Burley stared up at the advertisements for the films. "I wanna see Julia Roberts shake her thang."

Jenny turned to Jethro, amused that his hand was still resting lightly on the curve of her waist. "I don't think Burley gets a vote."

"Agreed. Let's go see the dinosaur film for Decker." Jenny started to pout a little, upset that she didn't get her say. Gibbs watched her bottom lip stick out a little and smirked, causing her to smile. He had the strongest urge to kiss her, but he thankfully moved past it. "Deck did good work this week, better than you two did. He deserves to choose."

Jenny and Burley reluctantly nodded, and Decker punched the air, moving forward to purchase the tickets. Once that had been settled, the team tried to move onto another topic of conversation. Burley looked with wide eyes towards the bodily contact Gibbs was giving Jenny, but thankfully their boss noticed and moved forward without even a blink to pay Decker back. Missing the lack of contact, Jenny moved along with Burley. She was still surprised that Gibbs had come out with his team on a Friday night.

Inside the cinema, they took their seats as dictated by Decker. The Agent loved going to the cinema, and Jenny wouldn't have been surprised if Decker had seen this film already. He was on the end of their group, with Gibbs sitting next to him. Burley was at the other end, far away from Decker, and Jenny was situated between him and Gibbs. The seats were small, so their knees touched.

The film began, and Burley tried the whole yawning, arm/shoulder trick until Gibbs gave him a glare that sent him shifting in his seat. Exhaling a sigh of relief over Gibbs' intervention, Jenny tried to follow the story, but was finding it difficult having watched the first one some time ago. Decker was the only one who was completely focussed on it; Gibbs was staring at her.

"Going to get snacks."

Jenny moved up from her seat and headed out to the concession stand. She needed popcorn and coke, but moreover she needed to get out of the testosterone filled environment she currently faced. Between Burley trying to stare down her shirt and Gibbs watching her with an intensity that made her blush, she just needed to be by herself.

"One Coke."

She turned to see Gibbs standing behind her, his face a mixture of concern and amusement. The server started preparing both their orders, the only customers he had. Jenny played with her hair again, turning to her boss to try and alleviate some of the tension that had been building in her since he had brushed her finger that morning, and touched her waist that evening. She really needed to get a handle on her crush; she was reading signs into every little thing.

"Thanks for coming. It's really great that you came," Jenny stated. "And thank you for the whole thing with Burley. Sometimes I really want to punch him."

He shrugged. "No problem. Thought it might be fun." Jenny giggled, and Gibbs started to chuckle. The only one who was having any fun was Decker, but that was okay. Gibbs was right; he had worked his arse off on the case. Smiling, Gibbs pushed some hair behind her ear. "As for Burley, he not your type, Shepard?"

She snorted, laughing at the idea that Burley would be anything close to what interested her in a man. "Nowhere near. I like strong older men, not man children who enjoy putting insects in people's keyboards." It was only after she had spoken that she realised she wasn't enjoying a conversation with Decker, but was having a proper conversation with her boss, who ticked every box she had listed.

His bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle as she squirmed under his gaze. He needed to put her out of her misery and either tell her that he was a stickler for rule twelve or just kiss her already. "Is that so, Shepard?"

Any response of hers was halted by the server putting down their orders. Gibbs reached into his wallet and started pulling out money. "I got this."

"No, its fine," Jenny protested, resting a hand over his and trying to ignore the jolt of electricity she felt.

Jethro shook his head and her hand off, reaching to pull out the right amount to cover both their orders. Jenny nearly smacked him around the head. She pulled out the money that covered her share and put it on the counter.

"How bout we both pay for what we asked for?" she suggested, and Jethro knew when he had lost an argument. He nodded his head and let the server sort out their change.

Walking back to the screen, Jenny observed Gibbs sucking on a straw, something that seemed bizarrely amusing to her. He caught her eye and smiled, trying to soften the awkwardness between them. She offered him some popcorn and he took a couple of kernels.

"Why wouldn't you let me pay, Shepard?" Gibbs asked, taking her aside before they entered the screen. His hand lingered on her waist again, and Jenny realised that both of them were experiencing the same tension.

Jenny stood there, legs shaking and not from the sugar fix she desperately craved. "If you paid, it would have been like a date."

"I see."

She felt like a fool as she headed back into the screen. Decker was leaning forward like a little kid, grinning at all the dinosaurs. Burley was also leaning forward, trying to get a closer look at Julianne Moore. As Jenny sat back in her seat, she grimaced. Why did she have to say that? She could have just said it wouldn't be appropriate as he was her boss, or some feminist statement - dates wouldn't need to have been mentioned at all. Added with the description of what type of man she went for, which had changed drastically since she had started working with Gibbs, the awkwardness between them was growing at an alarming rate.

Gibbs sat back down, resting his arms over the backs of both Decker and her chairs. When he leaned to get a drink, he took his right arm off of Decker's seat but still kept his other around Jenny's. Halfway through the film, his hand moved down to squeeze her shoulder. Towards the end, when the three younger Agents were yelling at a T-Rex being loose in San Diego, Decker's home city, he stole some of her popcorn and she smiled at him.

X

The film had been fun, at least towards the end. Burley and Decker were now out in front, discussing the dinosaurs while Jenny and Jethro held back, walking close to one another. They kept exchanging looks, hands straying dangerously near the other. The tension between them was now a wire pulled so tight it could break at any moment.

"Hey, I feel like a chilli dog. You guys up for food?" Burley asked, and Decker nodded enthusiastically. He was enjoying feeling part of the group.

"Sorry gentlemen, but I think I'm just going to get a cab and head home," Jenny apologised, trying to avoid Jethro's glare as she broke one of his rules. She really wanted to break all of them. "You three go on though."

"I'll drive you home," Gibbs offered off the cuff, trying to ignore how Jenny's mouth fell open a little and how much he wanted to cover it with his. He was in so much trouble.

Jenny felt she needed to protest the suggestion that could lead to so many bad things and looked to Decker for help. He knew all about her crush on Gibbs - it was a recurring topic they discussed when they went out to lunch during the week. But instead of helping her out, Decker just smiled sympathetically.

"Its fine, Jenny, you go on home. Nice to have you out boss, maybe we could make this a weekly thing!" His smile faltered. "Or, maybe not. See you both Monday!"

Jenny just stood there, watching as Decker and Burley walked away. She couldn't believe that they had left her alone with Gibbs, especially when she was on a super charged high from all the brushings and touching and inappropriate conversation that had occurred. As she stood in front of Gibbs, not saying a word, she realised she could hear Burley and Decker's conversation.

"Who do you reckon would win in a fight between a T-Rex and Gibbs?"

Decker replied almost instantly. "T-Rex's are big, but stupid. The real question is who would win in a fight between Gibbs and a Velociraptor?"

Gibbs snorted as he and Jenny started to walk towards his car, their team mate's conversation still within hearing range.

"Oh definitely Gibbs. With that sniper training of his, the Raptor has no chance. What about Gibbs versus a pterodactyl?

Eventually Decker and Burley dropped out of earshot, and soon they arrived at Gibbs' car. He unlocked it, and Jenny slid into the passenger seat. He started the car, not needing to ask for directions to drop her off. Jethro had been to her house a couple of times, never had gone inside it though. She'd only been down to his basement twice, once in need of a talk down about a case and the other to make sure he was okay after the end of a gruelling week. They both spent more time in the office than at home, and neither were concerned about the lack of an invite to Sunday dinner.

They made it to her house intact, and Jenny smiled as it seemed her boss was insistent on walking her to her front door. Of course that would make it even harder for her willpower - she was so close to just inviting him inside and into her bed for the next two days.

"So you got much going on this weekend?" Jethro asked and Jenny looked up at him in surprise. Small talk? From Leroy Jethro Gibbs? What was going on in the world?

Jethro smiled, sticking his hands in his pockets, not even bothering to correct her. "No. Didn't work out," he owned up, wanting to see her reaction.

"Oh."

His stomach started to churn as he saw her lips curve around that single word. She was happy he was single, and from what he knew about her, she was single too. They waited at her doorway, waiting for the other to say something, maybe even for one of them to make a move.

They'd known each other nearly a year, it had gone by quicker than he had expected it to. A year with Jenny, and still he had barely scratched the surface of their relationship, and his feelings for her. Despite how close they were professionally, personally they were still so afraid of ruining everything that neither of them could take that first step.

"Thanks for the ride home."

"No problem, Shepard."

He was aware of first date protocol, sort of, but then this wasn't a date. This had just been two colleagues going to see a film with two other colleagues. But the definition of the evening didn't stop him from wanting to kiss her.

"I do, you know," Jethro said as Jenny turned to open her door, thinking the moment had gone. She turned around to see him, much closer than he had been before and she smiled. "I miss when it was just us."

Jenny leaned up on her heels and pressed a light kiss to his lips, barely grazing the skin. He noticed that her eyes had closed as she had done it, and he tried to resist holding on to her and never letting her go. When he opened his eyes she had the door open, her hand clinging to the door handle like it was going to stop her from drowning.

"Night."

"Goodnight Jenny."

She closed her front door behind her, but watched out of her window as he walked away. He turned around just as he got to the kerb, and gave her a bright smile. She eventually pulled the curtains shut, a smile lingering behind them. As Gibbs got in his car, he touched his lips and remembered how she had felt with every little touch they had shared that day, how she had looked and smiled with every moment they had had.

Maybe one day she wouldn't be his agent anymore, and he could finally give in to what had been building since she had started at NCIS. Maybe one day both of them would be ready to take that first step.

Until then it was cold showers, hot coffee and bright green eyes across the bullpen.

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